CEPA Waivers and Federal Appointments

Summary#

The Department of the Environment published notices that include the appointment of Mr. Justin Duncan to the roster of review officers for three years, effective April 1, 2025, and lists of companies that received waivers of certain environmental test data under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The issue also lists many federal appointments across boards and courts, and bank actions under the Bank Act, including the incorporation of Questbank (March 6, 2025) and amalgamations affecting National Bank of Canada and Santander Consumer Bank (amalgamation effective March 5, 2025 for Santander).

What it does#

• Appoints Mr. Justin Duncan to the roster of review officers for three years, starting April 1, 2025.
• Publishes waivers of information requirements for living organisms under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999:
  • Waivers were granted to AskBio Inc., Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc., Boeringer‑Ingelheim Canada Ltd., Future Fields, Janssen Inc., PCI Pharma Services, Qeen Biotechnologies, and Vaccigen.
  • The waivers cover specific test data such as effects on aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals and tests of antibiotic susceptibility; one waiver covers a test for pathogenicity/toxicity/invasiveness.
• Publishes waivers of information requirements for substances under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999:
  • Waivers were granted to 3M Healthcare Canada Company Limited, Azelis Canada Inc., Cabot Canada Ltd., Covestro LLC, Milliken Chemical, NextStar Energy Inc., and PPG Canada Inc.
  • The waived data include ready biodegradation tests, octanol/water partition coefficients, vapour pressure, hydrolysis rate as a function of pH, and density (some items waived more than once).
• Lists many federal appointments across departments, boards and courts (examples):
  • Maryse Tremblay — Chairperson, Canada Industrial Relations Board.
  • Macky Tall — Chairperson, Canada Infrastructure Bank.
  • Mark Fisher — President, Canada Water Agency.
  • Jonathan Franklin Goldbloom — Chairperson, VIA Rail Canada Inc.
  • Plus numerous judicial and tribunal appointments shown in the Gazette.
• Announces banking corporate actions under the Bank Act via the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions:
  • Letters patent for the amalgamation of National Bank of Canada and Canadian Western Bank (amalgamation to take effect on the first day of the month following the day National Bank becomes sole shareholder of Canadian Western Bank).
  • Letters patent incorporating Questbank effective March 6, 2025.
  • Letters patent amalgamating Santander entities into Santander Consumer Bank, effective March 5, 2025, and an order authorizing it to carry on business.

Who's affected#

• The named biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies that received waivers (e.g., AskBio Inc., Janssen Inc., Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc.) — they can proceed without providing certain test data to the government for the specific submissions covered by the waivers.
• Chemical and industrial companies listed (e.g., 3M Healthcare Canada Company Limited, Cabot Canada Ltd., NextStar Energy Inc.) — their submissions had some data requirements waived.
• Testing laboratories and consultants who perform environmental and chemical testing — fewer tests may be required for the specific submissions covered by these waivers.
• People who use or regulate the affected products and substances — regulators and possibly downstream users may have less public information about certain environmental effects for those specific cases.
• Customers, employees, and shareholders of the banks involved — National Bank of Canada, Canadian Western Bank, Santander Consumer Bank, and the newly incorporated Questbank may see changes from amalgamations or a new bank entering the market.
• Users of federal boards, agencies and courts — the many listed appointments change who holds leadership and decision-making roles in those bodies.

Why it matters#

• Waivers can speed commercial introductions or testing programs because companies don’t have to provide every standard test result for the specific submissions listed. That can shorten regulatory timelines for some new organisms and substances.
• Waiving tests also means there will be less public or regulatory data on possible environmental effects (for the specific cases listed). This matters to communities, environmental groups, and others who watch ecological risks.
• The appointment of a roster review officer and many board and judicial appointments shape who decides regulatory, legal and governance questions going forward. That can affect how quickly things are reviewed and what priorities are followed.
• Bank amalgamations and new bank incorporations can affect competition, branch networks, jobs, and customer service. The notices in the Gazette signal formal steps in those corporate changes.
• For context, the Gazette notes roughly 300 regulatory declarations are submitted each year and about 100 waivers are granted yearly for chemicals, polymers and living organisms — showing these waivers are a routine but recurring part of how new substances and organisms are handled.